Michigan State Spartans
Big Ten
11-2 (7-2 conf)
SP+ #28AP #5
Ratings
2021
- SP+
- 11.2 (#28)
- SP+ Offense
- 34.3
- SP+ Defense
- 21.7
- SRS
- 11.1
- FPI
- 10.8
- Elo
- 1595
- Talent
- 677
- Recruiting
- 191 (#43)
Schedule
2021
| Wk | Opponent | Site | Res | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | @Northwestern | A | W | 38-21 |
| 2 | vsYoungstown State | H | W | 42-14 |
| 3 | @Miami | A | W | 38-17 |
| 4 | vsNebraska | H | W | 23-20 |
| 5 | vsWestern Kentucky | H | W | 48-31 |
| 6 | @Rutgers | A | W | 31-13 |
| 7 | @Indiana | A | W | 20-15 |
| 9 | vsMichigan | H | W | 37-33 |
| 10 | @Purdue | A | L | 29-40 |
| 11 | vsMaryland | H | W | 40-21 |
| 12 | @Ohio State | A | L | 7-56 |
| 13 | vsPenn State | H | W | 30-27 |
| 1 ·P | vsPittsburgh | N | W | 31-21 |
Quarterbacks · 2
2021 · 65
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | Payton Thorne | — | — | — | — |
| QB | 2nd | Anthony Russo | — | — | — | — |
Running Backs · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 1st | Kenneth Walker III | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| RB | 2nd | Connor Heyward | — | — | — | — |
| RB | 3rd | Jordon Simmons | SR | 5'11" | 200 | — |
| RB | 4th | Elijah Collins | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| RB | 5th | Donovan Eaglin | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Wide Receivers · 9
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st | Jayden Reed | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 2nd | Jalen Nailor | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| WR | 3rd | Tre Mosley | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 4th | Montorie Foster | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 5th | Keon Coleman | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| WR | 6th | Terry Lockett Jr. | SR | 5'11" | 182 | — |
| WR | 7th | Ian Stewart | SR | 6'3" | 215 | — |
| WR | 8th | Christian Fitzpatrick | SR | 6'4" | 220 | — |
| WR | — | Cade McDonald | — | — | — | — |
Tight Ends · 3
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | Tyler Hunt | — | — | — | — |
| TE | 2nd | Maliq Carr | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| TE | 3rd | Trenton Gillison | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
Offensive Line · 3
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL | — | Matt Allen | — | — | — | — |
| OL | — | Luke Campbell | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| OT | — | AJ Arcuri | — | — | — | — |
Defensive Line · 15
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE | 1st | Jacub Panasiuk | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DE | 2nd | Drew Beesley | — | — | — | — |
| DE | 3rd | Drew Jordan | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| DE | 4th | Michael Fletcher | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| DE | 5th | Jack Camper | — | — | — | — |
| DE | 6th | Zach Slade | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 1st | Simeon Barrow Jr. | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 2nd | Maverick Hansen | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 3rd | Dashaun Mallory | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DL | 4th | Kyle King | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DL | 5th | Brandon Wright | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 6th | Jalen Hunt | SR | 6'2" | 315 | — |
| DL | 7th | Derrick Harmon | — | — | — | — |
| DL | — | Avery Dunn | JR | 6'4" | 250 | — |
| DT | 1st | Jacob Slade | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Linebackers · 11
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | Darius Snow | SR | 6'1" | 230 | ★★★ |
| LB | 2nd | Cal Haladay | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 3rd | Quavaris Crouch | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| LB | 4th | Jeff Pietrowski | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 5th | Noah Harvey | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 6th | Harold Joiner | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| LB | 7th | Ben VanSumeren | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| LB | 8th | Chase Kline | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| LB | 9th | Ma'A Gaoteote | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| LB | 10th | Itayvion Brown | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| LB | 11th | Kobe Myers | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Defensive Backs · 12
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | 1st | Ronald Williams Jr. | — | — | — | — |
| CB | 2nd | Kalon Gervin | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| CB | 3rd | Kendell Brooks | — | — | — | — |
| CB | 4th | Spencer Rowland | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 1st | Angelo Grose | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 2nd | Chester Kimbrough | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 3rd | Michael Dowell | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 4th | Marqui Lowery | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 5th | Charles Brantley | SR | 6'0" | 170 | — |
| DB | 6th | Justin White | — | — | — | — |
| S | 1st | Xavier Henderson | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| S | 2nd | Emmanuel Flowers | — | — | — | — |
Special Teams · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LS | 1st | Hank Pepper | SR | 6'1" | 215 | ★★★ |
| P | 1st | Bryce Baringer | — | — | — | — |
| PK | 1st | Matt Coghlin | — | — | — | — |
| PK | 2nd | Stephen Rusnak | SR | 6'0" | 200 | — |
| PK | — | Evan Johnson | — | — | — | ★★★ |
2021 · pct vs FBS
SP+ Off
34.377
Off PPA
+0.2568
Pass PPA
+0.3672
Rush PPA
+0.1659
Success
44%53
Explosive
1.3891
PlayerMedian (50th)percentile vs league
Advanced
2021 · opponent-adjusted PPA / play
| Split | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | +0.25 | +0.18 |
| Passing | +0.36 | +0.27 |
| Rushing | +0.16 | +0.06 |
| 1st Down | +0.13 | -0.03 |
| 2nd Down | +0.16 | +0.20 |
| 3rd Down | +0.57 | +0.54 |
Scoring Trend
2021 · pts/game
PPG For
31.9
PPG Against
25.7
Differential
+6.3
— Points for— Points against
dots: W / LResults
2021
- Overall
- 10-2
- Home
- 6-0
- Away
- 4-2
- Conference
- 7-2
- Non-Conference
- 3-0
- One-Score (≤8)
- 4-0
- Avg Margin
- +6.3
Team News
4 items
- MSU football recruiting target commits to ACC schoolA Michigan State football recruiting target is off the board and heading to an ACC school insteadMSU10h
- MSU football reportedly making good impression on in-state 4-star WR prospectA big-time in-state prospect in the 2028 class reportedly "likes" what Michigan State has to offer.MSU11h
- Michigan State Football Preview 2026: Can Pat Fitzgerald Bring Back Spartan Toughness?In a time of transition for the university and the football program, it's up to Pat Fitzgerald to make the Spartans far more physical right away.MSU1d
- J Batt leaves Michigan State to serve as new AD at KentuckyKentucky has hired Michigan State AD J Batt to serve in the same position with the Wildcats as he returns to the SEC. Sources told ESPN that it is a six-year deal.MSU6d